We in the diaspora, and middle-upper class Iranians inside Iran always dream of a secular democracy in Iran. But is that really compatible with the culture and the mentality of the majority of Iranians? Let’s face it, the majority of Iranians, those who live outside of major cities and the lower and lower middle class, are very religious and are deeply passionate about their faith. How would this large section of the society feel about having bars and alcohol serving clubs on the streets of Iran? And please don’t get me wrong, I am not judging religion or secularism one way or the other, but rather, I am just asking the question: are we delusional in thinking that the majority of Iranians do NOT want a theocracy, or at least a religion based government? Don’t you think that this was Shah’s problem? I often think that Shah was too fast in trying to make Iran a culturally (not politically) secular, western style society. I think he ignored the cultural inclinations of the majority or the population which was deeply religious and really resented seeing him on the television toasting Champaign with Jimmy Carter.
So, are we making the same mistake again? Are we too quick to think that the majority of the Iranian population wants a secular democracy? What do you think the answer would be if there is a referendum in Iran tomorrow as to what system of governance people want, with a list of options, one of which is another, more moderate form of a religiously based republic?
